The West has a brand new museum following the opening last month of The Vietnamese Museum Australia and accompanying Wominjeka Plaza.
The museum’s striking design by architects Konzepte Melbourne is the colour of the red soil of the outback on the outside and you can see the tall waves of the sea repeated around the building. Inside, the bamboo patterns reflect the traditional building materials used in Vietnam.
The Wominjeka Plaza constructed by Brimbank City Council is a welcoming public space for everyone to enjoy that honours the Traditional Owners and celebrates all refugee and multicultural communities in Brimbank.
I’m quite emotional writing this story because over the past few years I’ve had the privilege of getting to know some wonderful people from the Vietnamese community, such as Tammy Nguyen, the volunteer turned fundraiser, now CEO of the VMA, and Counsellors Kim Thien Truong and Thuy Dang who serve as elected officials of the City of Brimbank.
The Vietnamese Museum Australia celebrates the rich history and cultural heritage of the Vietnamese community in Australia, many of whom made the treacherous journey across seas, in boats in terrible condition, in the hope of a better, more peaceful life in Australia.
When in office, Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser made important policy decisions to welcome refugees from 1976 to 1983. But to really understand that journey and Fraser’s impact, well I believe the best way to do that is to hear those stories from the people themselves, people like Kim and Thuy.
As well as collecting stories from those who successfully made the journey to Australia and set up new lives here, the Museum is also “a place for souls to rest” to use the poignant words of the Chair of the VMA and former Member for Footscray, Bruce Mildenhall.
Many lives were lost in the Vietnamese war, and on those journeys. There was a minute’s silence to honour those lives.
This was a profound moment for me in the proceedings, reminding me that museums are so much more than objects and artifacts, but are repositories for stories and histories for communities, to educate and remind us of the struggles and triumphs of many of our neighbours.
The stunning three-storey building includes a number of galleries, a dedicated education and resource centre, and an event space for up to 300 people.
The project wasn’t always plain sailing, but fortune is smiling in the West as I have no doubt that this will become an important destination, not just for the Vietnamese community, but for all of us seeking to better understand our Vietnamese friends, neighbours and families.
Multiculturalism is so much more than a Bánh mì or a great Vietnamese meal (although these are wonderful gifts!). When you visit the VMA, you’ll understand the depth of gratitude of this community and how proud they are to gift us their stories and history in this collection.
The museum is located at 119 Durham Street, Sunshine and is one of six cultural museums in the Multicultural Museums Victoria Network (mmv.org.au). I challenge you to go to all six. It’s incredibly well worth it.
I’ll leave you with a quote from a veteran from Vietnam, it’s a little bit out of context here as it was directed to the aforementioned Bruce Mildenhall, but I believe the sentiment speaks for the project as well as the person:
“When we first arrived in Australia we had nothing, and you welcomed us with open arms. Now we welcome you with open arms.”
Daniel is the former Front of House Manager of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney from 2004–2011.
